Voters within East Maine School District 63 approved a $120.6 million, 25-year bond referendum Tuesday by a two-thirds margin.
With all 31 precincts reporting, unofficial results from the Cook County Clerk’s Office show the measure passed with 67.3% of the vote (6,007 votes) to 32.7% against (2,915 votes).
District officials say the referendum will cost the owner of a $350,000 home about $314 per year, or $26 per month, over the next 25 years.
“Today’s students and future generations will benefit greatly from the community’s commitment to maintaining safe, modern and effective schools,” District 63 Superintendent Shawn Schleizer said in a statement. “We recognize the trust voters have placed in our district and thank our community for their support and investment in our students and schools.”
Plans call for renovating the Family Resource Center and six schools, all built between 1956 and 1970: Melzer (1956), Washington (1959), Gemini (1959), Nelson (1961), Mark Twain (1962), the Family Resource Center (1967) and Apollo (1970).
In August, the school board reduced the proposed referendum by 26%, trimming it from $163 million to $120.6 million following a resident survey and community...